Kael stood on the platform in silence.
Blood still dripped from his sword.
It hit the snow in slow taps, like the world itself was counting.
Fraza's severed head lay on its side near the edge of the wood. One eye was half-open, frozen in that last look—hate, fear, and refusal, all trapped inside.
Kael stared at it.
He remembered Morvain's words.
You carry the burden for the rest of your life.
And his chest tightened.
It was a sight he couldn't move his eyes away from. It was almost as if, if he did look away, the man would wake up from the dead and the entire world would plunge into chaos.
Kael's chest felt tight, like the entire world's burden was now on his shoulders. His throat felt sore, like he had swallowed a stone.
From the looks of it, it seemed like he would be standing here for a long time, with the same silence accompanying him.
But then—
'Father!'
Imperia's panicked voice thundered in his head.
The ant did not even give him the time to react—
